Sunday, December 7, 2008

Its begining to look a lot like Christmas

The tree is up and decorations are spread around the house, inside and out. The publishing industry has all but shut down turning their attention to family and holidays. We still have shopping to do, and those of us in the choir are putting final touches on the Christmas program. We have a dinner to go to with friends. Slowly, but surely it is beginning to feel like Christmas.

That’s the first step, getting in the spirit and taking care of the logistics required to have presents under the tree. But we’ve already gotten a wonderful present as one of my clients and good friend Donn Taylor just got the news that his wife Mildred, after much treatment, has been pronounced cancer free. She is such an terrific lady, I think Saundra and I are almost as happy as they are. I’m sure they won’t mind me mentioning it here. If it was my news I’d want to shout it from the rooftop and I’m sure they feel that way as well. God is still in the healing business.

The next step is remembering the real reason for the season, celebrating the birth of our Savior. The amazing present we received in the above paragraph pales by comparison to the present that Jesus gave us . . . the gift of our salvation. It humbles me to think how unworthy I am, how I could never deserve such a gift, but how He loved me enough to give it to me anyway. How He gave it to us all.

But here at Christmas time having a gift with our name on it under the tree is meaningless. It only has meaning if we take it, open it, and make it ours. Jesus has put a gift under our tree. If we’ve already accepted His gift before then now the gift is a reminder, a chance to pause and reflect on His birth and what He went on do for us at Calvary.

If we have left that gift under the tree unopened in past years then the most amazing gift of all is awaiting us under that tree. I urgently and sincerely hope that anyone that has not unwrapped that gift of eternal life would do so this Christmas and make it their own. We will never receive a more awesome present.